An incompetent cervix is when the cervix is too weak to support a pregnancy. The weight and pressure of the uterus on the weakened cervix can cause it to prematurely open. This can cause an early delivery or a miscarriage.
Having an incompetent cervix is a fairly rare condition. It can be caused by previous damage to the cervix, either through miscarriage, birth, abortion or surgery. It could also be a deformity present since birth. No matter what the cause, if you have been diagnosed with an incompetent cervix, then there are some precautions that you and your doctor can take to help increase your chances of carrying a baby full-term.
If you have been diagnosed, then you have probably had a miscarriage before. If you have not, then your doctor may still want to check for incompetent cervix early in your pregnancy. This could be the case if you have had any kind of surgery or even a difficult delivery before.
They can check your cervix through a pelvic exam, but may want to examine your cervix more thoroughly. This is usually done by ultrasound. This will help your doctor determine if your cervix is open more than it should be. They will also be able to tell if the cervix is too thin.
Your doctor may recommend a cervical cerclage to hold the cervix shut. This is basically stitching the cervix closed during the pregnancy. It is usually done during the third month of pregnancy and helps the cervix withstand the pressure of the growing baby and uterus.
If the cervix shortens and starts to open later in the pregnancy, then an emergent cerclage may be placed later than the third month. Bed rest may be recommended instead if you are far along or if the cervix has already opened too much for the procedure to be performed.
You will most likely be under general anesthesia during the procedure. Spinal blocks and epidurals are also commonly used. A special thread will be stitched around your cervix and then cinched shut. You may experience cramping, light bleeding and pain after the procedure. You may be required to stay overnight after the procedure.
Your doctor may prescribe medication to help stop preterm labor. Other medications may be used to control pain and prevent infection. Your symptoms should cease after a few days. If they do not, then you need to contact your doctor. Fever, contractions, painful cramping, lower back pain, nausea, vomiting, bleeding, water leakage or foul smelling discharge should be immediately brought to your doctor’s attention.
Cervical cerclage is an
infertility treatment that can help many women carry their babies to term. Talk to your doctor about all of the risks and what you can do to prepare and take care of yourself afterward.
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If you are having a bit of a difficult time getting pregnant, do not rush to the doctor yet. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites that most experts tend to use the 12-month time frame as an indicator of being infertile. In other words, you will be considered infertile if you have been trying to get pregnant for 12 months without success. The time frame goes down to 6 months if you are over the age of 35. If you have not reached these time markers and do not wish to seek medical assistance, there are certain things you can do to increase your chance of getting pregnant.
A typical pregnancy lasts nine months however you should think about a pregnancy lasting twelve months instead. It is a good idea for you to prepare your body mentally and physically for an upcoming pregnancy three months prior to trying to conceive. This is especially true for women over the age of 40 trying to have a baby. During this time, it may be a good idea for you to seek out the advice of a medical professional in order for you to get all of your questions answered and for you get a check up to make sure there is no condition you may have that will negatively affect the pregnancy.
If you are ready to get pregnant and are over the age of 40, you are most likely to want to get pregnant now! Time is of the essence after the age of 40. Actually, it is closer to the age of 35. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the chances of a woman getting pregnant dramatically decrease after the age of 30 so a woman in this situation will want to make sure she does everything right from the start.
It does not seem fair when there are many women and couples that do not have any problems getting pregnant. In fact, teenpregnancy.org, a website managed by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, states that there are "750,000 teen pregnancies annually. Eight in ten of these pregnancies are unintended and 81 percent are to unmarried teens." This amounts to a lot of unintended pregnancies and it may be especially disheartening if you have been trying to get pregnant but cannot.
Hope is not lost if you are told you are infertile. Treatment options do exist for those that would like to seek out methods to get pregnant. For some couples, getting pregnant may seem like it is second nature. But for others, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and assisted reproductive technology (ART) methods may become the only option. However, these two types of couples are not the only ones that exist. The majority of couples lie in between these two categories. Before making a major decision like seeking medical treatment to help get pregnant, you may want to take a look at your lifestyle.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services consider a woman or couple "infertile" after a year of trying to get pregnant. The year time frame does not apply for women over the age of 35. If you are over the age of 35, you are considered "infertile" after 6 months of trying. Being told you are infertile does not mean you cannot get pregnant. Some couples do get pregnant without any medical assistance after the first year but many other women and/or couples do need assistance and successful pregnancies do occur.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services cites that 10 percent of women are considered infertile. This equals roughly 6.1 million women that need help getting pregnant. The idea of getting pregnant is an unattainable dream for many couples but there are treatment options and the outlook is better than ever. Infertility treatments are so much more improved than ever before and there are so many more options than ever before that doctors are more specialized than ever. Another positive factor is that fertility evaluations can be done much sooner thereby allowing women and their doctors to have a plan right away.
